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While I was testing today's camera, I kept getting a sense of déjà vu. It's happened before, but the last time it was because I was mistakenly testing a camera that I had already reviewed several months previously. In this case that is almost also true, but not quite. Back in March I reviewed the Nikon CoolPix L10 an ultra-low budget, ultra-simple 5-megapixel snapshot camera. Today, seven months later, I'm reviewing the Nikon Coolpix L11, an ultra-low budget, ultra-simple 6-megapixel snapshot camera. The two models are so similar that at first glance they look completely identical.

From the front at least there are indeed no differences. The L11 uses the same plastic body as the L10, but like the other camera it is strong and solidly made, and finished in an attractive metallic silver. It has the same f/2.8 - 5.2, 3x zoom lens, and even the flash, microphone and self-timer LED are in the same location. It runs on two AA batteries, so the body is slightly thicker on the right-hand side to accommodate them, however the L11 is still a very slim camera, measuring 89.5 x 60.5 x 27 mm, a millimetre thicker than the L10. It is also 10g heavier at 125g without battery or card. Typical AA batteries usually weigh around 25g each, so a pair of them puts the weight up to around 175g, which is quite heavy for such a small camera.

Also very similar is the price. The L11 is currently available for as little as £74, which is a price that is hard to beat for a decent digital camera. There are only a handful of models that even come close, and those are listed in the review of the L10 linked above.

The top plate as well is identical to the L10, with the on/off button, shutter button and speaker. It isn't until you look at the back of the camera that you might notice a difference. The L11 has a larger 2.4-inch monitor, although it is still only 115k pixels, so it's not actually any sharper. Apart from the screen size however, the back of the L10 is very similar to the L10, with the same arrangement of simple controls. However to make room for the screen the buttons and D-pad are slightly squashed up, and correspondingly slightly more fiddly to operate, although they are still larger than average so I doubt many people will have a problem.